Issues
It's almost impossible to even fathom walking into a grocery store and not seeing any packaging. But, Original Unverpackt in Berlin, Germany has done away with packaging altogether. This innovative store requires customers bring their own boxes, jars, or whatever else they can gather to help them on their grocery trip. This week we're also looking at the rise of on-demand packaging and how packaging innovations influence our purchasing decisions. There's some best practice advice on label design and a fun look at conceptual new beer packaging. We're in the final stretch before a huge Graph Expo and CPP Expo in Chicago with just five days to go! Hope to see you there!
A fantastic Labelexpo Americas is in the books and now it's time to turn our sights toward the upcoming GRAPH EXPO 14 and the co-located CPP EXPO, specifically for converters and package printers. But before we all head back to the Windy City, take a look at the latest goings on in the industry. This week, we have stories on the printers behind Coca-Cola's successful 'Share a Coke' campaign. We have an update on LiquiGlide, the permanently wet solution that helps get viscous liquids completely out of their packaging. And we've included some international news, including an Italian packaging company's U.S. venture, trends in Chinese packaging, and turnover at Heineken's Mexican packaging facility. Enjoy this week’s inBOX and let the GRAPH EXPO 14 countdown begin!
How do consumers know their purchases put the least stress on our environment? One way is by looking for certifications and logos on the labels. This week, we share six ways eco-labels can help us stay sustainable. But no matter how eco-friendly a product or its packaging is, there is a larger issue of teaching consumers how to properly dispose of trash. A new anti-littering campaign in Toronto uses empty food and product packaging to create words that describe litterbugs. Of course, if packaging wasn't so large, consumers wouldn't have as much to toss out. Oversized packaging has been described as the number one annoyance for consumers. Read all this and more in this week's packagePRINTING inBOX!
September is not just the end of summer, its the start of expo season! Next week, packagePRINTING will be heading to Rosemont, Illinois for a stop at Labelexpo Americas. Take a look inside this issue for a preview of some of the latest products that will be on display. There’s also plenty of news in the food-packaging sector this week: What does the future hold for food labeled as “natural?” How does packaging affect olive oil? And can a Scottish company’s color-changing labels put an end to printing expiration dates? All this and more await inside this week’s edition of packagePRINTING inBOX.
packagePRINTING September 2014 Edition
For those of us who grew up playing with Transformers, we understand how cool it can be for a robot morph into a truck or a jet. So, when it comes to packaging, it’s really fun to see how Ecovention has developed and launched a pizza box that can quickly transform into four plates and a storage solution for leftovers. In addition to this innovative container, this week’s inBOX includes information on how reducing packaging can be beneficial and the pros and cons of high-barrier packaging. There are also changes at the helm of Mark Andy and a group of students using corrugated material as a marketing initiative. Open up this inBOX and dig in to the latest industry news below.
Have you ever opened a food package, only to be disappointed that its contents didn't look quite as good as the images on the container? This week, we're taking a look at packaging that lets you see right through to your food with transparent elements. Customers have responded well to this trend, but what are the challenges for converters? We're also taking a look at the ever evolving world of wine and beer packaging. Avery Dennison hopes its exceptionally bright white wine label stocks will increase retail sales. Also on the wine front, wine labels in Pennsylvania, are helping to spread awareness of pet adoption. This week we're also going behind the scenes at Nilpeter's Technology Center in Cincinnati and their recent Expanded Gamut seminar. Just like the packaging windows that are letting customers see their food, we hope you enjoy this window into the latest news from across the industry.
Do you eat alone? It turns out you are in good company. About half of the meals Americans eat are now consumed alone, prompting manufacturers to invest in single-serve packaging for solo diners. The upside for converters is more SKUs, more packages, more labels, and more flexible packaging to produce. And some of those meals are likely gluten-free, which raises another labeling issue. As of last week, our friends at the FDA have mandated that all foods claiming to be "gluten-free" must adhere to the Food and Drug Administration's strict definition of that term. For some brands, this means new labels are required to convey the necessary consumer information. We hope you enjoy this bite-sized look into the week's top packaging trends—but you don't have to experience it alone. Share it with someone!
